What is Yoga

“Yoga is not for one who eats too much, or for one who fasts too much, nor sleeps too much or sleeps too little, but instead lives in a harmonious flow along the middle path.” fromthe Bhagavad-Gita

For most of the people, Yoga starts with the physical practice as the reasons for giving Yoga a try are often physical issues like backpain or a tense neck or symptoms of stress. In most cases people experience a change for the better after a few sessions and continue doing Yoga on a more regular basis.

Many more people deepen their practice and, in doing so, discover the more spiritual part of Yoga and incorporate some Yogic principles such as more mindfulness into their everyday lives.

Yoga is much more than asanas; it is a way of life. Yoga is about the quality of openness, it’s about mindfulness and sensitivity, and it is about connecting and cultivating these abilities and characteristics. Yoga is about engaging and about connecting relaxation with action. It’s about developing awareness on the mat as well as in daily life.

By practicing Yoga, we are deepening our understanding of connecting movement patterns, the breath, and classic philosophies as well as modern interpretations of Yoga.

But starting from the physical aspect, first we must understand our body as the source and the vehicle of the spirit or the temple of our souls. Only having this one body we should take care of it in whatever state it is to keep or gain more strength, health and flexibility.

The first step to this is to accept the current conditions of your own body with its own beauty and uniqueness and then word toward realistic goals. By doing Yoga we start to understand many physical principles and from there we can transmit them and incorporate them into our daily lives.

The Sanskrit word Yoga literally means union or unity and refers to the union within ourselves, the union of body, mind and emotions. That union also refers to the universal consciousness, the union of all beings, the knowledge and the trust that everything is connected.

Not for nothing beginning and continuing with yoga is often described as being a journey. When you start practicing Yoga, you will find your own way, your own pace and your own access to the broad variety of aspects and things to know, learn and experience.

Therefore, the thing you must do is enjoy your practice! Don’t force anything and don’t get mad when things are not working they way or as fast as you would like. Take your time; learning Yoga really is a journey. Never stop exploring and stay openminded and connected. That is what Yoga is all about.

There are many books written about Yoga because there is so much to learn about it! Read more about the guiding principles of a Yogic meaningful life and Patanjalis Yoga Sutra and the eight limbs of Yoga .

Do Your First Yoga Practise

No expectations, and no frustrations just give it a try . Try a yoga breathing, some meditation or do your first yoga pose. All and more in our Yoga Guide for Beginners by the amazing Katrin, 100% Free.

About Author

Hi! I’m Katrin and I’m very happy to introduce you to the world of Yoga here at Days to Fitness
I’ve been studying yoga for more than 10 years now. From the very beginning of my yoga practice I have found peace and strength and serenity and gratitude soon followed. The desire to be able to pass that on to others inspired me into doing a yoga teacher training course in 2013 in India at the Ashiyana Yoga Centre and aroused my interest in yoga and holistic life approaches...continue reading